Reunion
by seoulstice
Summary: It has been a few years since Hae Soo remembered it all. She grew tired of searching and waiting. Just when she gave up, hope returned. A oneshot fic.


Three years.

It had been three years since Go Ha Jin realized who she was, since the memories came flooding back. Three years since she remembered her past life, her past love. Three years since she realized she left behind a baby girl. Three years since came back from a life filled with tragedy, but filled with friendship, laughter, and love.

Three years.

After that day, she swore to herself she would find him again. It was all she could think about. When she wasn't working, she was diving into research on Gwangjong. She tried countlessly to find evidence of her past life, evidence that she wasn't crazy, or that it wasn't a dream. From researching online to visiting museums, she came up with next to nothing. She had even contacted experts in the area, and they all gave her the same result.

There was no evidence of a woman named Hae Soo.

Month after month of work proved to be useless. Her stubbornness was evident as she refused to give up and accept defeat. She began to think that maybe it _was_ merely a dream. After all, how could she even confirm what she thought was her past life without a speck of proof?

But she knew in her heart it was real. Day by day the river of memories rushed into her mind. The snow reminded her of Lady Hae. Any stringed instrument reminded her of Baek Ah. Whenever she saw even a bar of soap, it triggered her memories and laughter of when she spent her time making precious soaps from scratch for the royal family.

As for Wang So? He was everything. He was the soft rain that fell, or the quiet lake. He was the scent of her tea brewing early in the morning, and the beautiful flowers in every landscape. He was the bright moon that shone its light through a silent night. He was in her laughter and in her tears that kept her awake countless nights. Nothing could keep her from thinking of him. She thought about her words to him. _If we had met in another world and at another time….truly, I could freely love you all I wanted._ He was the first thing she thought of and the last thing she contemplated before sleeping.

But, after a year of trying to find him, she decided it was time to put it behind her and move on. She tried to find love again. She tried dating more times than she cared to keep count, but it was futile. The men were handsome and kind, some even wealthy with stable jobs as doctors or businessmen. Yet, no matter who it was, she couldn't bring herself to love another. She felt almost guilty, not wanting to betray the one man that was willing to marry her despite the opposition from political influences.

She accepted the fact that maybe love wasn't for her.

Instead of love, she threw herself into her career. She eventually became the owner of the beauty shop she worked in. She even became a very well-known makeup artist in her district. Clients came flocking to her, and she was always booked with dozens of appointments a week. She had made a name for herself. _This_ was now her main passion and her drive.

She figured it was the best way to keep herself distracted. The further she buried herself in her work, the more Wang So faded.

One chilly yet rainy morning, she woke up and hurried to an early appointment. She had accidentally slept in and could not make tea for herself, so she decided to buy some along the way.

She sighed heavily as she saw the line at the register, but as she looked at her watch and contemplated, she convinced herself the wait would be short. With every ticking minute that passed, she grew more and more impatient. Trying to take her mind off the burden before her, her eyes found their way to a television inside the shop.

The story she saw at that moment she would never forget.

The news anchor reported a story of a man who was in a coma for nearly a year. The doctors were about to pull the plug when he showed signs of regaining consciousness. For the first time in months, he opened his eyes. He was still recovering in the intensive care unit, but was showing signs of improvement. He had no ID when he was found, and no family came by to claim him. The cause of his hospital stay? A near-death experience from drowning.

She watched now more intently, keeping up with the line as it moved forward. The story sounded all too familiar, as she experienced the same event.

 _This can't be a coincidence,_ she thought to herself.

Her heart beat faster and her palms started to sweat as the details unfolded. He was at a hospital about half an hour from where she was. And then, the camera showed the man's face.

Her heart stopped and her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened with disbelief.

 _No, no, no. It can't be. I'm seeing things. This isn't real, this isn't happening._

But the familiarity of the face was all too persuading.

"Miss?" the barista called out to her in an attempt to grab her attention. She turned her head from the television to the young woman standing in front of her.

Her mouth opened, and the only thing that was able to escape from her was, "Wang..So…"

The barista looked at her with confusion, but she paid no mind to it. She felt a sense of urgency come over her. She wasn't exactly sure if it was him; he was only shown for a maximum of two seconds. But if it was him, she needed to get there _now._

She hurried out of the shop and made a mad dash for her car, the cold rain making her body numb as it poured onto her.

On the way to the hospital, she called her client, letting her know she wouldn't be able to make it due to a personal issue that came up, but that she was sending someone else over. The tears of hope blurred her vision as she drove. She tried to maintain her composure as she didn't want to set her hopes high only to be disappointed.

She thought it ironic that he would show up just as she felt she finally moved on.

After running a few red lights and swerving through lanes, she finally made it to the hospital. She wasted not a single minute to get to him, even forgetting to carry an umbrella. The cold rain hit her once again as she ran towards the hospital entrance.

Her legs trembled as she went from person to person to find where his room was. Nurses and doctors stared at the soaking wet, frantic women as though she were insane. She obtained the information she needed and speedily made her way to the elevator. Alone at last, she calmed herself by taking in a few, deep breaths. She thought she would throw up or faint in that very spot. She could not stand still and fidgeted in the short ride up.

The doors finally opened after what seemed to her like an eternity of waiting.

"Room 418, room 418…" she chanted to herself. She followed the signs and before she knew it, found herself in front of the room.

Another deep breath in, and she knocked on the door for courtesy, opening it within a second anyway. Her sight was immediately drawn to the man in the hospital bed. She woke him up by coming into the room. He looked somewhat different; his hair was shorter and a lighter shade, and his body was thinner than she recalled.

But it was him. It was him all the same.

She took in every detail of him. She even noticed his scars weren't inscribed on his face anymore. The closer she got, the more puzzled the man looked. He stared at her in confusion, while she was so overcome with shock she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The only sound in the room was the sound of the machine supplying the man's oxygen.

"Wang…Wang So?" she asked him.

He removed his oxygen mask and said in a husky voice, "I'm sorry, but I think you are mistaken. Who is that? Do I know you?"

As quickly as her hope came, her heart shattered.

The sound of a knock echoed in the room and a doctor entered. He pulled her aside and asked who she was. After she developed an elaborate lie on the spot, the doctor began to tell her his state. He lost his memory after waking up. He didn't know who he was or what had happened.

She then remembered her own state a little over three years ago. At first, she couldn't seem to recall anything either. She regained her memory eventually, though.

The doctor explained everything and left to see his next patient, leaving her alone with him.

She could almost tangibly feel how awkward it was in that moment. The man, not recognizing her, kindly asked her to leave the room. A heavy weight fell upon her and a look of disappointment was evident.

She reluctantly agreed and began to turn towards the door. The man stared through the window at the pouring rain. It had been a long time since he had seen rain.

And that was when his first wave of memories hit him.

It came in pieces. He remembered the drought. The rain ritual. Standing high in the palace as the rain poured down. Turning back to see _her._ Hae Soo. Standing in the rain as a torn up girl kneeled in protest. Covering her and standing by her. It was _her._

Faster than lightning, he saw more. More visions of her. The time they first met. The moment she saw his scars in the pool. The time when he first heard her angelic voice sing. Holding her ashes.

"Hae…Soo.." the man uttered, taking off his oxygen mask.

She froze as she was about to reach for the door. Eyes widened, she slowly turned around toward him.

He stared into empty space before looking at her.

"Is it you..?" he asked her. "Is it really you?"

A hand covered her mouth as the tears began to fall. She quickly moved towards him and embraced him tightly. He closed his eyes and took in her scent; she somehow managed to smell the same after all this time.

"Yes my love," she quietly whispered. "It's me."

"I'm so sorry," he said as his voice broke from beginning to cry. His hand stroked her partially dry hair delicately.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you alone," she said back to him.

"I promised myself I would find you again. You were all I thought about until my last breath. I love you, Hae Soo. I love you so much. Please don't leave again."

"I love you too, so so much," she replied through her tears.

He broke the embrace to take in the details of her appearance. She looked almost identical to how he remembered. Her face had matured, and when he lifted up her sleeve, he saw no scar on her arm from when she tried to escape marriage from King Taejo. He cupped her face, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

He kissed her. He kissed her passionately, trying to make up for the last who knows how many years. Her hands moved to the back of his neck as she kissed him back. The sound of an oxygen machine broke their kiss, alerting him his oxygen levels had gotten too low. He giggled and put the mask back on.

"You literally take my breath away," he said. They laughed together for first time in what they now realized had been ages.

 _Wow, I missed that smile,_ he thought to himself.

They talked for hours on end, never letting go of each other's hand for a second. She told him about her life in the 21st century, and he marveled in admiration at everything she said like a kid in a theme park. He told her of life after she passed, about Baek Ah, Jung, and even their daughter Seol. It brought joy to her to learn how her daughter grew in beauty and intelligence, but saddened her knowing she could not be part of it.

As he talked, she stared at him in love. Her searching was finally over. He was here. This _was_ real. _Now_ she could freely love him as she said. _Now_ they could finally be together.

She was happy she overslept that day.


End file.
